Can't put weight on doeling

[WannaBeFarmR]

I feel like I'm doing something wrong my one LaMancha is not putting on weight she had an ear infection and was not eating well that's cleared up and she's eating like a champ but she is so skinny. You can feel her spine and see her hip bones and her coat is better but still shaggy in places. She seemed to be putting on weight for a while but looks thin again. Her last fecal check looked good. I added shredded beet pulp to her feed to try and up her calories. The only weird thing I have noticed is that she eats for awhile then throws her head back and then runs and gets a drink then back to her grain or hay, like she has trouble swallowing but there is nothing stuck in her throat that can be seen or felt. Any suggestions to have the vet check or for me to try? Her sister is about 50 lb and she is only 37 lb so something is just not right here.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Bad tooth? Could be crooked and catching feed and/or hay in it. Might be she's taking a drink of water to try and 'wash out' whatever might be caught in it?

 

[Pearce Pastures]

I agree that you should check her teeth. Did she ever had any illness or issues with parasites (like coccidiosis)? I ask because I have heard of goats who had problems when they were younger having a hard time keeping condition as adults, possibly because of scar tissue in their digestive system.

 

[WannaBeFarmR]

Her teeth seem normal for her age, the vet checked her mouth when she had an ear infection, to make sure she didn't have an infected tooth. I'm not sure if she had any problems with parasites before I got her, she was older then 8 weeks when I got her so its very possible. I've heard of people adding calf or mare/foal feed to a goats diet to help them gain weight, is there any high cal feed I can add to her diet that won't hurt her and see if that changes anything? And is there any chance that she's just putting everything into growing and when she slows down on growing she might put on some weight?

 

[Pearce Pastures]

I've used calf manna from Manna Pro before for a thin buck. Worked pretty well.

 

[WannaBeFarmR]

Okay I'll pick some of that up today and give it a try. The other thing I've noticed about her is she is dumb as a box of rocks, she is really sweet, but not very smart. I don't know if that could be a symptom of something, contributing to the issue, or if she's just not very bright and its completely irrelevant? I'm almost half tempted to list her as free to good home with an obvious disclaimer that she is thin for unknown reasons and that she might be a better companion for another animal or a pet then a future milk goat. If I can't keep weight on her now she might die from the strain of producing milk later, plus if she doesn't get any smarter I can't see her being able to take care of her own kids since she struggles trying to figure out how to care for herself. I'm just afraid that she would be a problem for someone else if I did that or that she wouldn't get the extra care she needs or worse. Anyone want to weigh in with what they'd do in this situation?

 

[verkagj]

Make sure that she doesn't have parasites/worms as they eat up a lot of the goats nutrition. I'd add ProBios to her food and a bit of corn. It took me over two years to get mine into condition. They were thin and scruffy when I got them. Now their fur is very nice and they look rounded.

 

[daisyjack]

I would take another fecal to the vet to double check. the ear infection could have made her more susceptible to worms

 

[WannaBeFarmR]

She seems to be putting on weight, her hips are still sticking out but she seems to be filling in now and her coat looks pretty good. Her legs look thicker like they can actually support her weight now. And she seems more alert and isn't acting as dumb now either. Maybe her brain wasn't working as it should have since she wasn't getting all the nutrients her body needed. She didn't get her shredded wheat for breakfast so she wasn't keeping full and focused I guess.